obama may run just to be ready in 2016. the point being you never know. i think that's true where we are with the republicans. i don't think you could say. i would never have predicted that somebody named mccain would end up being the nominee after 2007 when the story was he was so low he had to carry his own bags. i don't think you should underestimate the power iowa has to attract people to the state fair of the fried butter. it is absolutely incredible. >> you have an excellent point. >> republicans have a lot of experience with civil war, 1912, roosevelt and taft. 1964, rockefellers and bhoop -- whoops, excuse me, goldwater. what republicans need to bear in mind is one number, 28. 18 states have voted democratic in six consecutive elections back to 1992. if they hold the base, and they look for 28 electoral votes, they've got 242 in those states, they'll find them. >> i think what's most problematic for republicans is they seem to be taken by the tea party more extreme base, so the candidates that are most appealing right now are the ted cruzs, the ra